Hosting a Press Junket and International Premiere All in VR

On Tuesday, Syfy and social VR platform AltspaceVR teamed up to host what is being called a “Virtual Reality International Press Junket” for Syfy’s upcoming VR scripted series, Halcyon.

So what’s a press junket in virtual reality even look like? It’s much like a press junket in real life, but for this one, everyone was wearing a VR headset from the comfort of their home, allowing themselves to enter a virtual world as random avatar characters.

In the case of this week’s Halcyon VR press junket, AltspaceVR was used as the setting, bringing together cast and crew members with journalists to simultaneously “attend” the event in VR. A panel that included cast-member Harveen Sandhu (Asha), Benjamin Arfmann (Director, Halcyon) and Stefan Grambart (Creative Director, Secret Location) were at the center of the event, participating in a Q&A with journalists who floated around as droid like avatars.

From the Emmy winning VR studio Secret Location, Halcyon is being referred to as a hybrid VR scripted series. Set in the year 2040, the series is centered on Blake Creighton (Michael Therriault) the CEO of the world’s leading Virtual Reality company: Halcyon. Having cornered the market on VR, Halcyon has discarded the VR headset and allowed users to access the virtual space using neurological implants that manipulate the senses to create a virtual world. When Creighton is found dead, presumed murdered, Detective Jules Dover (Lisa Marcos) and her partner, Asha (Harveen Sandhu), must consider if this could be the world’s first virtual crime.

And speaking of firsts, AltspaceVR and Syfy will also be teaming up for the first VR international premiere of Halcyon September 15th, a week before Halcyon premieres to the rest of the world. The first episode in the series will be shown to a live audience inside virtual reality, where you’ll get to meet special guests again like Arfmann and Grambart. If you’re interested in attending, you can RSVP on AltspaceVR’s site.

We first got word Syfy was working on a VR scripted series back in February and are looking forward to finally checking it out.

Halcyon’s 15­ episode police procedural will alternate between 10 episodes on Syfy linear channels and their accompanying Syfy websites, as well as five VR episodes exclusively available on VR platforms. You’ll be able to download Halcyon as an app on the Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR from September 22. For viewers who are only watching linear episodes, short recaps of each of the five VR episodes will ensure that all fans are able to follow the complete storyline.